Clawing Back: Jackson Memorial Boys Soccer Off to Fast Start

All throughout last season, current Jackson Memorial senior Garrett Muzikowski and his teammates heard the outcry from other prominent programs in the Shore Conference.

Schools were lamenting the loss of varsity-level players to academy soccer restrictions that forbid active academy players from playing high school soccer. Meanwhile, the 2012 Jaguars team was welcoming in more established varsity talent than it was sending out the door.

The roles have reversed this season and while other teams around the Shore – most notably Toms River North, Rumson-Fair Haven and Howell – are welcoming back players who sat out a high school season to play academy soccer, Jackson has lost two major potential returnees to the club ranks while also graduating six other senior starters and most of its bench.

If the reconstruction of the roster was supposed to make Jackson any more vulnerable coming off a school-record 23-2 season, the Jaguars have not shown it. While many teams had a built-in excuse to fall off last year while losing talent to the academy ranks, Muzikowski has refused to let the loss of senior Anthony Mandola – who transferred from Jackson Liberty prior to the 2012 season – and junior Dylan Greenblatt rain on the Jaguars’ Class A South reign.

“We say it all the time and it’s cliché, but it doesn’t matter who is here and who isn’t, we’re going to play the same style, the same way,” said Muzikwoski, a second-team All-Shore player last year after scoring nine goals and 11 assists. “We’re going to come at teams for 80 minutes and give them Jackson soccer, just like we did when we had all of those guys last year. It doesn’t matter who is here. Nothing changes.”

Muzikowski has backed up his words with a torrid start to his senior season that has seen his team follow suit. Through five games, Muzikowski has scored six of Jackson’s 10 goals to go with two assists and the Jaguars are off to a 4-0-1 start after an impressive 5-2 win on Sept. 21 over Long Branch, the No. 9 team in the latest Shore Sports Network top 10. Muzikowski scored four goals against the Green Wave, including one just seconds before halftime to start a run of five unanswered goals that erased a 2-0 first-half deficit.

Two days prior to the win over Long Branch, the No. 9 Jaguars played Class A South division rival and No. 5 Toms River North to a scoreless draw in Jackson. The Jaguars outshot the Mariners 9-5 in the match and frustrated a talented Mariners team for most of the 100 minutes.

Defense was the hallmark of Jackson Memorial’s success last season, and it has been strong again during the early part of the season. The Jaguars lost defensive stalwarts Tom DeNoville and Ryan Young to graduation, but return starter Anthony Provini and All-Shore second-team goalkeeper Devyn Josko.  Combined with Muzikowski’s athleticism and creativity near the net, the Jaguars appear to have picked up where they left off last season.

“Obviously, we miss the scoring of guys like Matt Fryc and Mandola and the toughness of a Ryan Young and Tom DeNoville,” Jackson Memorial coach Steve Bado said. “So in that way, we might not be quite as dynamic, especially when it comes to scoring goals. But we still have a top goal-scorer in Garrett and we have some speed and some size and some kids who are going to work hard and play Jackson soccer. These guys sat behind some good players last year and now they’re getting their chance.”

Even with Muzikowski’s dominant start, the Jaguars have needed the contributions of many of their new starters. Andrew Jozwicki, Joey Stoltenberg and Justin Kritou have all contributed to the scoring, and Jordan Hodges, Tyler Russo and Joe Mamola have filled their roles on the field, with Russo solidifying the defense, Mamola manning the outside midfield and Hodges attacking out of the forward and midfield spots.

Jackson Memorial also kicked off the season with some good fortune on its side. The Jaguars effectively got a mulligan in dropping a 3-0 decision to Old Bridge at the GMC-Shore Shootout at Monroe High School on Sept. 3 because Old Bridge sophomore Tyler Mazza – who scored two goals in the game – played despite not yet gaining his eligibility after transferring. The oversight forced Old Bridge to forfeit the game and gave Jackson Memorial a wake-up call without the Jaguars having to take an official loss in the standings.

“We didn’t play very well in that game to begin with, and I think it gave us a chance to see some of our flaws and some of the things we needed to work on,” Bado said.

“Old Bridge was bad start, and there was some concern that we weren’t going to be able to score goals, but we came out and scored four on Linden and two on a tough Brick Memorial team,” Muzikowski said. “We didn’t score (against Toms River North), but we got chances and put the pressure on, and if we keep doing that, the goals will come.”

Since the Old Bridge experience, Jackson Memorial has dispatched of Linden 4-0 and Brick Memorial 2-0 before the Toms River North and Long Branch results. Brick Memorial (3-2) has scored 15 goals in its three wins, which include a 4-1 win over perennially strong Toms River East, but Jackson Memorial held the Mustangs scoreless.

The Jaguars also benefit from an early-season schedule that sees them host, in addition to Toms River North and Long Branch, Toms River East during the first trip through the Class A South schedule. Jackson also would have hosted Toms River South on its pitch on Sept. 12 for its Class A South opener, but the game was postponed due to lightning in the area.

“When we get teams on our home field, we are very tough,” Bado said. “The guys have a certain edge about them on this field, and it shows in the results here.”

Jackson Memorial appeared poised for a two-year run of dominance beginning with last year’s team, and the Jaguars are back among the Shore’s elite in the early part of the season. How the Jaguars have been able to do it with high-level players in Mandola and Greenblatt sitting this year out, however, makes them one of the Shore teams that has opened some eyes in September.

“I know people are kind of overlooking us even though we’re the defending champs, but that’s all right,” Muzikowski said. “We don’t worry too much about other people’s expectations. We still feel like we have something to prove, and we still have a lot of season left.”